A Loving Life

Read: 1 Peter 1:22-2:3

In this passage, Peter returns to the idea of the new birth. We may need to set aside our religious and/or cultural baggage concerning the idea of being “born again” to really hear what Peter is saying. When Peter talks about “new birth”, he’s saying that becoming a Christian is to be reborn (ie to die and to be recreated) into a whole new life that will last forever. This new life is the resurrection life of Jesus given to us. This is the life we grow into now and will grow further up and into forever in the new creation!  To people who were suffering, this gives reason for hope. Peter teaches that this new life grows stronger and deeper through suffering. In all our ups and downs; trials and suffering; in persecution, loss and grief - there is something invincible, eternal, glorious and beautiful that God can and will grow in us. What is it? It’s a loving life.

1) Why It’s Impossible to Live

The first thing we need to see about the kind of loving life Peter is calling us to is that it’s impossible to live. If we think we can do it, we need to take a closer look at the exact kind of love Peter is calling us to:

·         It’s “Sincere” - Never hypocritical or pretending; it’s not fake or forced. 100% genuine.

·         It’s “Constant” - It’s fervent. It doesn’t take a day off. Never half-hearted.

·         It’s “Brotherly” –In the ancient world, brotherly-love was the strongest of all ties and bonds. It never gives up because it can’t.

·         It’s “Pure” –It’s not mixed with any selfishness or any bit of what we can get or what we expect in return.

What is love? While we can never fully wrap all the Bible says about love into one neat definition, here is one way we could try: Love is faithfully giving of ourselves to another’s good even at our own expense. If we’ve ever tried to love like this we know it is impossible! That’s why Peter quotes the prophet Isaiah in verse 24, “All flesh is like grass…” In order to be prepared to hear about what God can do, we first have to be confronted with the truth of what we cannot do. Christianity does NOT say – here is love. Do it. It takes an impossible supernatural act.  All human attempts to love (our flesh) cannot do it. Christianity says our old unloving self that can’t do it has to die, a new us has to be re-born.

2) How It’s Impossible Not to Live

This kind of love is impossible apart from being born again but that’s not the main point Peter is making. In verse 23, he’s giving the grounds for why a loving life is not only possible – he’s giving the reason why it is impossible for a Christian NOT to live a loving life. He uses the language of human reproduction to make this point. He says, since you have been reconceived by an imperishable seed and not normal human perishable seed, you have a whole new nature and life. It is the very life of the God who is love. It’s impossible for anything to stop this living and enduring seed from growing.

This is why love for one another (ie “other Christians”) is the core mark and test of a genuine Christian faith. Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). This should convict even the most mature Christian – love is the goal, the task, the mark. An honest look at our lives reveals so many ways we fail the test. Yet, this should also encourage even the most wavering Christian. It’s impossible not to live a loving life for those who have the very love of God growing within them. Like a newborn baby has a long way to go to become an adult so we all have a long way to go to live a loving life. But if our trust is in the invincible and all powerful word of the gospel – God will grow this life in us.

3) How It’s Possible to Grow Into

In 2:1-3, Peter continues with the metaphor of the new birth. Like a baby growing up into maturity – we need to grow up into our salvation. The mark of a grown up and mature Christian is love but Peter is saying it’s possible to have this loving life yet not be growing up into it. Those who have this new life need to grow up into it. How does this happen?

We grow up into this life, as we drink “the pure milk of the word”. The person who wants to grow into a loving life, needs the constant nourishment of the word. As one commentator said, “For an infant, milk is not a fringe benefit”. That’s the picture here: like a baby needs and craves milk, so a Christian needs constant gospel nourishment to grow.

What’s vital for us to understand about this is that Peter is not saying, “Just read the bible and you’ll grow into a loving person”. It’s only when we taste the central message of the bible  that we will grow and keep coming back for more. What is this taste?

1.        It’s the taste of how his goodness reveals the bad taste of our unloving life. The perfect, pure, genuine, constant love of Jesus reveals how unloving we are. We know we are tasting of his goodness, when we start to see ourselves in the list of unloving vices in 2:1. 

2.       It’s the taste of how his goodness meets us in our worst failures to live a loving life. Though we are more unloving and unlovely than we will ever really “taste”, the gospel is this - there is nothing we can do to make him love us more; there is nothing we can do to make him love us less because Jesus faithfully gave himself for us for our good at great expense to Himself.  

The taste of his love for us in Christ is what grows a loving life in us. It’s not tasting doctrine to know; it’s not tasting rules to follow; it’s tasting the Lord is good. It’s tasting Him. When we taste His love for us at our worst, we say, “That’s SO good! If God can love me like this! I can love people in ways I never thought possible”

Discuss

1.        What about the sermon impacted you the most or left you with questions?

2.       Read over the description of love above from 1 Peter 1:22. Based on what you know about how the Bible defines love, do you think it is an overstatement to say that this kind of love is impossible? Would you define love any differently?

3.        How does it challenge or convict you to know that love is the core mark and test of a genuine Christian faith? How does it encourage you to know that it is impossible not to grow into this life if you have placed your trust in Jesus?

4.       In the sermon, it was said that Christians often avoid the impossibility of a loving life by measuring our spiritual growth in ways other than love (ie how often we pray or read the bible, the sins we commit or avoid)? What’s wrong with this? Have you found yourself doing this?  

5.       How do we know we are tasting “the Lord” when we read, hear the Word? Why is the good taste of doctrine or moral teaching not enough to make us loving people?

6.       How does tasting his goodness reveal our “badness”? Why is tasting this a good thing? Why does this make the taste of his love for us all the more good? How does this give us the power to love?

7.        Where are you finding it most difficult to live a loving life right now? What makes it so hard? How might the taste of God’s love for you enable you to love in ways you never thought possible?

A Holy Life

Read: 1 Peter 1:13-21

The phrase “living hope” can be read in two ways: 1) Living hope (adjective, noun) is something we have been given because of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. All other hopes fade and perish but since Jesus is alive, our hope is always alive. 2) Living hope (verb, direct object) is something we do because of the hope we have in Jesus – we live out our hope. In 1:13-21, Peter transitions from describing the hope we have in the gospel, to describing what a hope-filled life looks like. He calls it a “holy” life.

1) A Holy Life… Where It Starts

When we think of a holy life, most people think it begins with God’s commands or moral instructions. This is not true. A holy life, Peter teaches, starts with hope (1:13). Before we can be holy, we first need to have our hope fixed “completely” on the grace that will be ours at the coming of Jesus. The implication is that if your hope is in the wrong things, you will not live a holy life. Why would this be so? The logic is this - our desired future is what sets the course for our present life and decisions. Whether it’s good grades, success, our reputation or security – if these things are where our hope is fixed, they set the standard of our conduct. It’s why many “good” people might find themselves cheating on a test, cutting corners to get ahead, lying or putting others down to look good or refusing to be generous with their money or time. We compromise because our conduct is devoted to making these hopes come true. In contrast, if our hope is in the resurrection and the new heavens and new earth, our conduct will be devoted to seeing this new creation life of holiness grow in and through us – even in this broken world (see 2 Peter 3:10-13!). 

2) A Holy Life… What It Looks Like

A holy life doesn’t make it on many people’s “wish lists” in our modern world – even Christians. Why not? One of the biggest reasons is that we have the wrong idea of what a holy life looks like. In verses 15-16, Peter grounds the call to a holy life in God’s holy character. God’s holiness means that he is transcendent, utterly separate and set apart from us or anything in the universe. What then does it mean then for us to be holy? A holy life is a life “set apart” for God, fully and completely devoted to Him. This means a holy life might look different than we think it does. To be a holy person is not the same thing as being a good person or a moral person. A holy life is something altogether different. In fact, living a holy life is what makes a Christian different than both an immoral (irreligious) person AND a very moral (religious) person. How so?

1.                    An irreligious/immoral person rejects traditional moral teaching and rules to get less of God in their life. They might want some spiritual benefit from a “god” (ie, peace, meaning) but they want to keep control over most of their life. That’s why they make the rules.

2.                   A religious/moral person is good and keeps the rules to get less of God in their life. How so? The religious person says, “If I follow these rules and do these moral things – then I’m done. I’ve done my part. The rest of life is mine. God will do his part to give me blessing, give good things and heaven when I die.” Notice what’s missing in what a moral person really wants in life? God. The less they can give him the better, because they aren’t really interested in Him.

3.                    A Christian is a holy person who does good, follows the rules and is moral to get more of God into their life because they believe their whole life belongs (is set apart) to God. Because the totality of their life belongs to God, they live to “get” God into every part of their life and conduct. That’s what holiness is - God getting more and more of a life. What does a Christian really want in life? More of God. That’s holiness.

3) A Holy Life… How to Live It

But how does God get a hold of more and more of a life? Peter helps us see how it’s possible for us to live a holy life. It involves clear and careful thinking about the reason and basis for our conduct (1:13, 14) AND it involves an act of the will devoting our whole life to God and his purposes. But more than just thinking and doing is needed. There is something that ignites the passion to be holy – we need right feeling and affection. Giving God more and more of our lives needs to move from “I have to” to “I want to”. How does this happen?

First, we need God to cause us to feel the emptiness of an unholy life. The road to holiness passes through many moments where God allows us to feel the emptiness of pursuing a life apart from Him. We get what we hope for – we feel empty. We don’t get what we most hope – we feel empty. The futility of it all causes us to say – “God fill me!”

We also need to feel the costliness of a holy life. The cost is that everything that is unholy in us must be consumed. God is holy so he will consume anything and everything that is unholy. The problem is that this means we would be consumed. This is why, before he went to the cross, Jesus prayed, “I sanctify myself for them, so that they may also be sanctified (made holy)” (Jn 17:19). Jesus didn’t sin - so why did he need to sanctify himself? Jesus is saying, “I wholly devote myself to them so they may be wholly devoted to You.” He was fully consumed by God’s holiness at the cross so we wouldn’t be. He did not hold back any of himself for us – we who are more unholy than we will ever know – how can we hold back anything from him? This is how the holy love of God in Christ gets deep inside us so that we live holy lives – not because we have to – because we want to.   

Discuss

1.        What about the sermon impacted you the most or left you with questions?

2.       How is hope connected to holiness according to Peter? How do you see the principle that our desired future sets the course for our present life and decisions work itself out in your life?

3.        Look up 2 Peter 3:10-13. Here Peter further unpacks the connection between hope and holiness. In your own words, describe how a hope in the resurrection life in the new heavens and new earth leads to a life of holiness.

4.       What is your mental picture of a holy life? Is it something you want, don’t want or are indifferent towards? How does the idea of holiness as a life entirely devoted to and belonging to God change your picture of what a holy life looks like?

For further discussion – Read Rom 16:16, 1 Timothy 2:8, 4:3-5. Paul says our hands and our kisses are holy and “everything created by God” can be made holy through the word and prayer. Clearly holy is not the same thing as being good/moral. Using this insight, come up with a definition of holiness or a description of a holy life.

5.       What’s the difference between a holy life and an irreligious/immoral life? a religious moral life? How do you see yourself moving toward irreligion or religion to have less of God in your life?

6.       How has God caused you to feel the emptiness of an unholy life? Are you feeling some of this now? If so, in what ways?

7.        Where do you feel you most need to move from “have to” to “want to” in your life? Share these things as a group and pray for grace to surrender these areas of your life over to Him.

Living Hope

Read: 1 Peter 1:3-12

Peter was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, a part of his inner circle and was appointed by Jesus to be the leader of the early Christian movement. But there is perhaps a more compelling reason than any of these to listen to what Peter has to say in this letter – the total transformation of how he dealt with suffering. Earlier in his life, Peter was rebuked by Jesus for what he said about suffering; he tried to cut the head off a solider to prevent Jesus from suffering; he even denied Jesus three times to avoid suffering for him. Yet, this is the person who wrote the one letter in the New Testament that – more than any other - provides us with a gospel theology of suffering. This is the person who faced imprisonment, beatings and, eventually, his own crucifixion with boldness, courage and joy. How is such a transformation possible? He tells us here - It all came down to finding in Jesus Christ what Peter calls “living hope”. 

1) Why We Need Living Hope

In verse 3, Peter bursts into praise in response to a gift God has given us in his great mercy. It’s a gift that Christians really only discover we have and only see how much we need when life brings suffering. What is this gift? It’s “a new birth into a living hope”. Like a baby that can’t imagine the life it will live as an adult, so Christians can’t imagine or appreciate this living hope of resurrection until suffering and hardship reveal just how great it is.

The bible assumes that every person looks for hope in something. We can define hope as the settled conviction that what will be will be better than what is. In contrast, to have the settled conviction that what will be will not be better than what is, leads to a sickness of heart that takes from us our very energy for life (Prov. 13:12). In verse 4, Peter contrasts the living hope of Jesus with every other human hope. We need a living hope because every other hope we can have in this world will one day perish, will always be mixed with sin, evil and brokenness (ie be defiled) and will eventually fade. Though all other hopes eventually die, the gospel offers us a hope that always lives.

2) What Living Hope Is

Peter unmasks our false hopes in order to show us a better hope that will never perish, never be tainted and never fade. It’s the living hope that what will be will be better than what is because Jesus rose from the dead. All those who trust in Jesus Christ share in his resurrection life in part now, and one day, fully and forever. This “inheritance” (a resurrection life in the new creation with Jesus forever) is not just a future reality we can count on, it’s also a future reality that breaks into our lives now with living hope. How so? Verses 5-9 tell us:

·         Living hope is the hope that what is most difficult for us will only be for a short time – From the vantage point of resurrection time, this present age of trials and grief is a short time. Our future inheritance in a world without suffering and tears is forever and ever. It would be the height of cruelty for Peter to say to those suffering – “It’s ok. It’s only a short time” unless he was sure of the hope of eternity. Because Jesus is alive, we can be sure what feels to us so long will one day feel like only a short time.

·         Living hope is the hope that what is most valuable cannot be taken from us. If the resurrection is true, Peter says the most valuable thing any person can have is faith. Why? Because Faith is the empty hands of trust, the letting go of control, the personal trust that connects us to Jesus and his resurrection life. Peter says suffering is like fire; our faith is like gold. Suffering does take a lot from us; but it also can give us something of greater value than anything else – a refined faith.

·         Living hope is that our greatest grief will not be without joy. As it was for Jesus, so it is with Christians. It is not grief or joy; it is grief and joy. To follow Jesus is to go deeper into grief over all that is not the way it should be and deeper into the joy of knowing Him. Somehow, God uses our grief to open up space in our souls for finding true joy.  This “inexpressible” joy (v8), in large part, comes from how our grief more clearly reveals the glory of Jesus – the One who died to make us and all things new.

3) How to Find Living Hope

How do we find this living hope when life brings suffering and the resurrection of Jesus (and our resurrection) feels so far, distant and ineffective? Peter is doing all he can to point us beyond ourselves and our difficult circumstances to look to Jesus in personal trust (faith). In verses 10-12, he makes the point that this is what the entire bible is about - the suffering and glories of Christ! When we suffer, we must look to his sufferings. He suffered with us and for us to end all suffering. When we suffer, we must look to his glory. There we find our guaranteed future life in preview.

Many people mistakenly believe that Christianity teaches something like this: Jesus taught us to live a good life so that, if we live good enough (not perfect, no one is), then God will bless us and give us a good life, guard us from suffering and hardship and, when we die, we’ll get into heaven. This is not Christianity! In fact, this is a recipe for hopelessness. Either we think we are good enough - which leads to anger with God when we suffer; or we think we’ll never be good enough - which leads to despair when we suffer. The gospel is the good news that we can give up any hope of being good enough and all hope of ever finding hope apart from Jesus and find living hope in all that Jesus has done for us.

How do we find hope? Peter tells us what changed everything for him. The living hope that Jesus rose from the dead. His love for us has been proven by his death; our future guaranteed by his resurrection. While our suffering takes away all other things we love and trust in, nothing can ever take away what we have when our love and trust is in Him. God promises to guard this inheritance until the day he gives it to us fully and forever. 

Discuss

1.        What about the sermon impact you the most or left you with questions?

2.       Have you ever thought about Peter’s personal transformation when it came to how he handled suffering? How does this make him a trustworthy guide to finding hope in suffering?

3.        Using the definition of hope above, what would you say you most look to for hope in your life instead of Jesus? How does it impact you to know that this hope will perish, is tainted and will one day fade?

4.       Using a search engine look up the Myth of Sisyphus. What is the basic story? Do you sometimes feel like this is all life is? How does Peter help explain this feeling? How does what he says answer our feelings of hopelessness with living hope?

5.       Of the three descriptions of living hope above – which do you feel you most need to find hope in the suffering or struggles you are currently facing? How would it change things if you really believed this?

6.       Have you experienced deeper joy and growing love for Jesus in the midst of suffering? If so, share your story with the group.

7.        Why do we have to let go of the hope of earning a suffering-free life to find living hope? Why do we have to let go of all other hopes to find living hope in Jesus?

8.       In the sermon it was said that this living hope is:

a.        not blind faith but is utterly reasonable because it is based on the truth of Jesus’ resurrection.

b.       not naïve optimism but is utterly realistic because it does not minimize suffering or grief that life brings.

How are these 2 things important for those going through hard times to find hope? to help others find hope when they are suffering?

Hope in Suffering - Intro to 1 Peter

Read: 1 Peter 1:1-2

The letter of 1 Peter was written by the apostle Peter to churches spread throughout Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). These churches were full of people who had recently become Christians. These new Christians all had something in common – they were all facing suffering, hardship and trials (1:6); they were all surprised at just how hard it was to live out their gospel commitments (4:12), especially in a world that didn’t share their beliefs or way of life.  Much of their suffering came as a result of their faith in Jesus and their connection to the church, so they were struggling to hold onto to the hope of the gospel in all they were facing. Peter heard about their struggles and wrote this letter to encourage them and to help them stand firm in the living hope of the gospel (5:12). In his greeting, Peter 1:1-2 introduces the main themes he will develop throughout the letter.

1) The Suffering that Shakes Us (the reason for the letter)

To understand the main message of 1 Peter, we need to know the situation into which he was writing. Here are the words Peter uses throughout the letter to describe the situation his readers were facing: “a fiery ordeal” (4:12), “testing” (4:12), “various trials and grief” (1:6), “suffering” (3:14, 17), “difficulty” (4:18) and a “war of the soul” (2:11). Peter “normalizes” their experience by telling them that what was happening to them was not unusual (4:12). In saying this, Peter gives us the hard, but important truth of what we should expect in life as a normal part of human experience and a normal part of Christian experience. We should expect to face hardship and suffering that shakes us.

Though on one level we all know this, on another level, Christians often live with an expectation that life should be different for us and that God should prevent or lessen our suffering if we live for Him. Because of this, we can be surprised at the reality of suffering (4:12). We wonder, “How can I still be shaken to the core by the suffering of life? I thought my faith was stronger. Maybe God doesn’t love me after all. Maybe I’m not a Christian. Maybe Christianity doesn’t work. Maybe it isn’t true”.

Much of modern western culture is built on the belief (ie, on faith) that we will find a way to eliminate, control or vastly minimize our suffering. This leads us to spend so much of our energy and time on looking for ways we can achieve maximum comfort and full proof security and safety from anything that causes us discomfort, grief or hardship. In a broken and fallen world still awaiting full redemption, this false hope will always lead us to confusion and disappointment. In this letter, Peter gives us a reality that is hard for us to accept, but one that, if we do, can lead us into a true and living hope:

1.        The hard reality of 1 Peter: It is our avoidance of, fear of, our refusal to accept, our confusion about, our discouragement from, our getting stuck in suffering, trials, struggles that leads to our lack of gospel joy, holiness, witness. Instead of living in expectation of a suffering-proof life Peter directs us to a better way.

2.       The hopeful message of 1 Peter is: because of Jesus we can have great hope that no matter what sufferings, trials or struggles we face, God will lead us further into true joy, genuine holiness and faithful witness.   

1) The Hope that Upholds Us (the message of the letter)

Peter isn’t writing to tell his readers, “Life is hard, suck it up and deal with it”. Far from it! He acknowledges how badly our suffering can shake us and he leads us to a hope that no suffering can take from us and that can become even more real to us when we are shaken by suffering. It’s a hope that answers the questions that shake us in our suffering. These questions are addressed by Peter’s greeting in verses 1-2 as he introduces things he will develop throughout the letter:

Where am I?  When shaken by suffering, we often feel lost and disoriented. Peter says he is writing for “exiles dispersed abroad”. At first, his readers would have been confused since they were living where they always had. Peter is alluding to the experience of exile for all those who lived by faith in the living God. From Adam and Eve, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to the Israel in exile in Babylon, to the Jewish people living in the “diaspora” (away from Israel) – people of faith have always had to live “not home”. How does this give us hope? Here’s how - to find living hope, we first have to let go of false hope. We have to first let go of ever being fully at home here. We trust that Jesus’ resurrection is a preview of what is to come: there will be a homecoming for all who trust in Him.

Who am I?  When shaken by suffering, we often feel like we lose our identity. If we lose our job, relationships, a person dear to us, our reputation or the acceptance/approval of others, we wonder, “Who am I?”. Peter expands our perspective by grounding us back into an identity given to us in eternity past. All who believe in Jesus are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. This is an identity we didn’t earn. This is an identity we can’t lose. We are sons/daughters of the Father who made and rules over all things. How does this give us hope? Here’s how - in order to discover our true identity, we must shed all our false identities. This always hurts - but it is how God gives us a secure identity that nothing can shake.

Why is this happening? When shaken by suffering, we ask, “Why is this happening?” We search for purpose in it all. While the bible doesn’t answer our “why?” question specifically; it does offer us the comfort of reminding us of God’s great and unshakeable purpose for us in Christ. The final part of this greeting reminds us of this purpose – we are chosen to be sanctified (made holy) and obedient. The purpose God has for us is to become like Jesus. Though we wish there was another way to become like Jesus, Peter says there is only one way to become like Jesus; to know the joy of Jesus, his holiness, bear witness. There is one pattern that God uses to fulfill his purpose in us: suffering to glory.

How does this give us hope? Here’s how – in order to find our true God-given purpose, we will have to let go of all other lesser purposes. God loves his children too much to allow us to settle for a lesser purpose in this life than to find true joy in Him, to develop a genuine holiness in us and to bear witness to Him and his glory.

The final phrase in Peter’s greeting tells us how we can hold to hope when we can’t see what God is doing, we don’t feel any hope and we don’t know how he is at work in our trials. He says we are “sprinkled in his [Jesus’] blood”. This is a reference to how God sealed his covenant promise to Israel (see Exodus 24). It’s the way God says – “I will keep my end of my promise – even at the expense of my life”. The blood of Jesus is our ultimate hope. At the cross God showed us why we can hope even when we are shaken. Jesus left his home to experience exile. Jesus lost his identity as the beloved son when he bore our sins. In the pain of his suffering, Jesus cried out, “Why is this happening?”. He already knew the answer - but it wasn’t easy to see it as he was shaken in his suffering. It was all so he could give us a hope that cannot be shaken – a home eternal with him in the new creation, an identity like his as a beloved child of the Father, a purpose that nothing can thwart. He gave up everything so we would know he will never give up on us.

Discuss

1.        Is there currently something in your life that is shaking you? How are you being shaken by it?   

2.       Do you agree that much of our western culture is shaped by the belief that we can eliminate and minimize our suffering and hardship? If so, where do you see this? How does it work its way into your expectations about how life should go? How does it affect your response to difficulties (big and small) & your relationships?

3.        How do you respond to the idea of being an “exile” who will never be fully at home on earth? How is this hard and frustrating? How might it be to make sense of the experience of never feeling fully settled in life? Is it comforting to you to know there is a true home for you in the new creation? Why or why not?

4.       How might it comfort you knowing that in Jesus you have an identity you didn’t earn and you can’t lose that was given to you in eternity past? How might believing this is true help us through the times when it feels like our false “selves” are being stripped and shed? Have you ever experienced what felt like the loss of your identity? How did God (or how is God) take/taking you through this?

5.       What is your response to Peter’s teaching that there is only one pattern God uses to make us like Jesus – suffering to glory? Read the final paragraph again. How does the gospel give us a hope we can hold onto even when we can’t see it or feel it?

The Diaconate - A Study Guide

READ 1 Timothy 3:8-15

Intro

The NT teaches that at the heart of every healthy, sustainable and fruitful church there are two teams - a team of elders and a team of deacons. This two-fold leadership structure means leadership in the church works in plurality (in teams not in one person) and in partnership (elders and deacons working together). The bible describes this partnership like this:

1.        A team of Shepherd leaders (“elders”) lead, oversee, teach and provide pastoral care to the church. Elders focus on the ministry of the word and prayer. They guard the theology, vision, mission and values of a church.

2.       A team Servant leaders (“diaconate”) serve in areas of stewardship, operations and care for the tangible needs of people and of the church as a whole.  Their servant leadership enables the elders to focus on the ministry of the word and prayer.

This study guide provides an overview of the role of deacon in the life of the church.

What is a Deacon?

Even though passages like Philippians 1:1 and 1 Timothy 3:8-15 indicate that deacons played a key leadership role in the early churches, the bible doesn’t anywhere describe exactly what a deacon is or does. How are we know what a deacon is? We have two sources that help provide the answer:

a)       The Word “Deacon” – The word “deacon” was used to describe a servant, an attendant or a table waiter. A deacon is a servant who meets the tangible needs of others.

b)       The Origin of the Role –Acts 6:1-7 describes the origin of what would later be formalized into an official leadership calling/office. The verb from of the word “deacon” is used to describe the ministry need these seven servants were chosen to meet (v2 to wait on tables = diakonen). These servants were chosen by the congregation to meet an important need in the early church community so that the apostles could devote themselves to the ministry of the word and prayer.

From these two sources, we can arrive upon a working definition of a deacon: What is a deacon? A deacon is a servant called by God to ensure that the personal and operational needs of a church are identified and met.

Why Do We Need Deacons?

Acts 6 also shows us why every church needs deacons. As a church grows (this church grew to 5000 people!), personal and operational needs in a church increase. As a church grows, the need for leadership oversight and the individual and corporate ministry of word/prayer also increase. When these needs increase and outpace leadership capacity, people’s needs will be overlooked. This is what happened in Acts 6. When these Greek speaking widows were overlooked, it eventually was expressed as a complaint. This conflict had the potential to weaken the church and cause disunity. Instead, because the church took these needs seriously and these seven leaders were chosen to serve, the church was strengthened and grew.

Deacons serve the health and mission of the church as those a church community trusts to bring their needs and as those who are gifted by God with a particular ability to see and meet needs so that needs in a church are not overlooked.  A diaconate helps us be the church by activating living faith and practical love in the body so we all see and meet one another’s needs (see 1 John 3:17 and James 2:15-17).

Who is a Deacon?

1 Timothy 3:8-15 describes the qualifications of deacons. Notice that the qualifications are all about character. There’s nothing here about accomplishments, titles or natural abilities and skills. What kind of character is needed? We could summarize it like this: A deacon is the kind of person you can trust to care for the important (sometimes sensitive) personal and operational needs in the church.

This text tells us we should be looking at qualified men and qualified women when it comes to diaconal ministry. 1 Tim 3:8 speaks of male deacons and 3:11 speaks of “women” or “wives” – the word can be translated either way. When it comes to women’s role in the diaconate, there are two main options based on our understanding of this text. 1 Tim 3:11 is either speaking about the wives of deacons or it is speaking of women who served alongside the male deacons in some way. Is it describing a servant-leadership role that is shared by a husband and wife (qualified couples), or a servant-leadership role that is carried out by men and women in partnership (qualified men and women – who are not married to each other)? Let’s look at the arguments on either side:

1) In favor of “women”

• The parallel structure of the descriptions (use of the word “likewise” for deacons and “women”) indicates a similar position and role.

• There is no possessive pronoun – it doesn’t say “their wives”, so this would lead us to translate the word in its more general sense – “women”.

• There is no parallel  set of qualifications for elders wives.

• The requirements closely match the qualifications of deacons which indicate they were active in the work, not simply married to a deacon.

• In addition to 1 Tim 3, Rom 16:1 – Paul mentions a prominent woman named Phoebe whom he calls a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. 

2) In favor of “wives”

• Paul returns right back to speaking of male deacons in v12 (husband of one wife), so his remarks on these women are a part of one train of thought.

• The nature of diaconal ministry would call for wives to come alongside their husbands.

• Pheobe might not be an official deacon but a very active, important “servant”, ie a leader but not with office/position.

Historically, churches have landed on both sides of this discussion and churches have varied in how to involve women in diaconate ministry. Our denomination allows for two interpretations of this text – it is either referring to the wives of deacons or assistants to the diaconate (non-ordained deaconesses). At Trinity, deaconesses will be appointed servant-leaders who will serve alongside the ordained deacons to assist in ensuring that the personal and operational needs of our church are met.

How to Deacon

The biggest and most difficult obstacle to a people’s needs being met by others and the biggest obstacle to a church’s needs being met is the selfishness of the human heart. How can this be overcome in one person – let alone in an entire church community?! The only answer is the gospel. When Jesus’ disciples debated which of them deserved leadership positions in Jesus’ coming kingdom, he said this: 25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant (deacon), 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served (deaconed), but to serve (deacon), and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

We can only deacon with joy and for the good of others to the extent we understand how Jesus “deacon-ed” us first. The gospel is God Himself saying to us in Christ, “I came to serve you whatever it takes, whatever the cost. I will pay the price (the ransom) so your greatest need is met.” This is what makes the God of the Bible vastly different from any other thing we can serve. Every other thing we serve says , “You serve me enough; you do what I say; you obey me, you give me your allegiance, time and effort and then I will give you what you want from me.” But this doesn’t cure selfishness, it only fuels it! It only leads to bitterness/entitlement (if we think we are serving enough) or burnout (when we can’t serve anymore).

Jesus melts our selfishness by the power of his serving love for us. This is the great benefit of those who deacon others in his strength – they gain greater standing and assurance in the gospel as they learn to serve (1 Tim. 3:15).

Discussion Questions

• What about the sermon/study guide most impacted you? What left you with questions?

• What is the difference between the role of elder and deacon? Why do you think both are needed for a healthy and sustainable church?

• Read the definition of a deacon above. Why do you think God has created a role like this and given it to the church?

• Is the role of deacon something new to you? Have you seen a diaconate functioning in a church in the way defined in the study guide? If so, how did the diaconate help build a healthier and stronger church?

• In the sermon, it was said that in OC, we struggle to make our needs known and we often don’t see or ignore needs because our lives are so full, busy, and fast-paced. Do agree with this? How does it ring true in your life? How might deacons help a church address this

• Based on your understanding of the Bible, how important is it that a church be committed to seeing and meeting needs? Why? How would you respond to the idea that churches should give priority to the spiritual needs over physical, tangible needs? How might Acts 6:1-7 help answer these questions.

• When it comes to the call to “deacon” for every Christian, what is the hardest part for you in taking the role of a “table servant” in your relationships?

• How does this gospel keep us from becoming bitter in service or burnt-out in service? How do we know the difference between service and unhealthy boundaries and limits?  

• Please pray for Trinity as we trust God to raise up deacons and deaconesses to provide servant-leadership.